Wine-Braised Oxtail Recipe (With Video)

Servings:

4

Martha’s favorite oxtail recipe is a restaurant-level dish that’s surprisingly easy to make at home. The meat is dredged in flour and browned, then cooked low and slow on the stovetop—for up to six hours. It's seasoned only with salt and pepper and a little red wine, but once it's braised, the meat is tender and succulent, and there's a rich pan sauce. Martha's trick is to add watercress once the meat is cooked and the sauce reduced; it wilts in a minute or two and adds a bright touch of green and a lively peppery flavor to complement the rich, meaty oxtail.

This recipe only uses 1/2 cup of wine to add a little extra flavor. Substitute beef stock or use water, if you prefer.

Directions

Heat oil and dredge oxtail:

Season oxtail generously with salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high. Place flour in a shallow pie pan; season with salt and pepper. Dredge oxtail in flour mixture until coated all over, shaking off excess.
Sear oxtail:

Working in batches, sear oxtail in Dutch oven until well browned on all sides, about 15 minutes. Remove oxtail and set aside.
Return oxtail to pot, add wine and water, and cook:

Wipe out Dutch oven and return oxtail to pot. Add wine and enough water to cover oxtail halfway, about 3 cups. Bring to a simmer and cook, partially covered, turning oxtail to prevent drying out. After 3 hours, add additional 2 cups water if necessary. Continue cooking until meat is tender and pulls away from bone, 3 hours more.
Set oxtail aside; separate fat from cooking liquid, and reduce sauce:

Remove oxtail and set aside. Pour cooking liquid into a fat separator. Allow fat to rise to top. Pour defatted cooking liquid back into pot. Cook over medium-high heat until reduced and thickened, about 15 minutes.
Add oxtail back, add watercress, and heat:

Return oxtail to pot and stir in watercress. Cook until oxtail is heated through, about 5 minutes.
Serve:

Serve oxtail either on the bone or with meat removed from bone and transferred to a shallow dish. Pour reduced cooking liquid and watercress mixture over meat and serve immediately.